Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen

Monday, September 29, 2014

Man, Can't Believe This Is Happening

Mason is in the middle of potty training. I have wanted to throw in the towel a few times today, but haven't. He has gone pee in the potty more than on the floor, and is now having fun, now that there is some chocolate involved. So wish us luck. Oh and it kind of backfired on me because he wants to be naked or commando. No undies. So we are working on that. At least I can tell him that if he goes pee he goes back in a diaper and he isn't happy about that idea!

Also, Collin can easily roll from tummy to back now. And he is taking his first nap in his crib in the nursery.

Too many changes! This momma is tired. Time for my nap!

September Week 4 Recap

I am so glad that this week is over and done with. I have been anticipating that this week be done, that I just make it to the 27th because that meant that my house was sold and I would not have to worry about making a double mortgage payment, nor would we be stressing about the closing process. So FINALLY! This week is over and done with and the house is SOLD! I feel like I can breath now.

In other news, Collin is finally almost sleeping through the night again. He dropped one feeding through the night this week, so no more waking up at midnight to feed. We are at a 2am feed then his regular4:30- 5am feed. If he continues to feed at 4:30-5 I am going to work extra hard to exercise afterwards because I need to do it first thing in the morning. Maybe I can get the hubs to do it with me then since it is only 30 min. Oh and he loves standing! I am not ready for him to start walking. He was standing against his walker and holding himself up, but of course as I snapped the pix Matt had his hands there just in case! But the kid is going to walk early!


Matt has been working out with me during the week. We need to be better about it and not being too tired at night when we can workout together. So finding this common ground is key! but he is enjoying the workouts just as much as I am, and I think I am kicking his butt. (He is also doing a workout earlier in the day, so really he is doing pretty well he is just so tired!)

Workout Recap: 
Sunday: rest
Monday: Total Body Cardio
Tuesday: Upper Body fix
Wednesday: Lower body fix & 10 min ab fix!
Thursday: Pilates fix
Friday: rest- we were exhausted and all of us in the house were out light a light by 8pm
Saturday: 3.25 mile run! I went running, yea, yea, yea! It was great. I hurt like crazy yesterday and had to take a nap but that's ok! I still ran! (10 miler training begins in 3 weeks!)

This weeks goals: 
~Potty train Mason. Yep you heard that right. He is struttin' around half naked right now. He has yet to go on the potty. Had 1 accident because he doesn't want to sit on the potty. But we are working on it. He won't keep his diaper on anymore, or his hands out of his diaper. He is ready but he doesn't want to be. (scratch that, he just went full on pee on the wood floor then playing in it! EWWW!)
~Run 2 times this week. I am going to try to run on Thursday either at Matt's gym on the treadmill or around the neighborhood. (Man the hills in my hood are awful!)
~Still eating clean. Need to be better. No more cheats, but I am down 2 lbs from when I started the 21 day fix. (i went up 1 lb from last week because I messed up on my portions! I am still learning!)

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Back into Running!

Today was my first solo run of the fall! YEA! And in a month I will begin the 10 miler training program for the spring 10 miler, or the C-ville 1/2. Not sure which one I will do right now but I should do the training program anyways because it is a great way to stay in running shape during the cold winter. I found this great article on the Charlottesville 10 miler training page and I couldn't help sharing it here! So click below to read about


ENJOY! 

Friday, September 26, 2014

SOLD!


Finally! I am so excited to announce that after 90 days, our house is officially SOLD! I haven't talked about it much but this has been such a cause of stressfulness over the last few months.

We were renting out the house and our tenant decided that they were ready to be done with the house. After they were removed from the house, I spent a good solid week doing work on the house. I was there filling nail holes from the numerous pictures and other installations they hung on the walls. I spent a day painting pretty much the whole house. Then we had the cleaners come and clean the house and the carpets. Had some work done on the kitchen tile and such. About 2 weeks from when all this was done we got a contract on the house and today we close!

I have been so nervous that something bad was going to happen, not pass inspection or have some major thing to fix. But we passed with only superficial things that needed to be checked. I was concerned about the appraisal amount because the area has some lower priced homes in it, but nope we were good there too! And then of course this week, no appointment for closing yet. No scheduled time for us or the buyers. But finally yesterday, I called and confirmed that we and the buyers are good to go. Title paperwork done, loan paperwork received. Now we just need to sign on the numerous dotted lines!

Now that this is really happening, it is kind of bittersweet. This was our first home we owned. Mason spent his first year and a half here. His first steps and learning sliding down the stairs backwards. My gardens that I planted. But the cool thing is, these are memories I will never forget. It is just a house that we made a home and we have a new home now with all new memories in them. We are thankful that our tenant was in the house as long as they were and the time they left was a good one for us because we were able to post the house on the real estate market in peak time, even with competition from our next door neighbors house. Out of 3 homes for sale on our street ours was the first under contract and to close.

We are feeling very blessed and so thankful for this burden to be lifted from us. I feel like we can finally plant both feet firmly here in C-ville as we are now going to be single home, homeowners again! YEA! for blessings and for the people who are buying such a great home, filled with lots of love and memories!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Happy 4 Months Collin

~It's football season! GO Arizona Sate University Devils!~
Here we are at another month update! 4 months! This kid is just growing way too quickly and I wish most days that it would just slow down. I love how cute and cuddly he is and how such a great baby he is. He has been doing so well in so many areas. Learning to grab at toys now, coo a ton and man his belly laugh is just to die for! 
I found out that he LOVES to be bounced. He just laughs and giggles and just is such a happy baby. We are saying he loves it so much from being bounced in my belly while I was running. 
He loves music. If I am feeding a a song comes on or Mason is too close with his tablet and they are singing a song, Collin will stop nursing and watch and listen until that song is DONE! Super cute! 

He hasn't rolled over yet in this past month (He has since he turned 4 months but that is next month's news!) 
He can't get enough of his Daddy either. We often take lunch to Matt and whenever Matt goes to Collin's side of the car and Dad says hi Collin just starts talking and cooing and smiling to daddy. It is very cute. He does things with daddy that he doesn't do with me. So that is interesting to see. He has gotten a lot better with daddy when I am teaching. He just lets daddy cuddle him and is just as quiet and patient as can be. 

Collin loves his big brother. Anytime Mason comes over with or without the tablet, Collin watches. Always watching brother, and dog for that matter. 
Sleep has been good until just a week before he turned 4 months. Collin got his first sickness and was waking up 2-3 times a night. I was not used to that so it has been hard on me. 3 weeks later he is still doing it so I am wondering if my lovely 12 hour a night baby is gone and I have a baby that likes nursing at 2am on the dot everyday now. It doesn't matter. I still love this kid. I love sleep but this is what it is like being a mommy. Taking care of our young no matter what! 
Tummy time has gotten so great with Collin. He is a champ at it and I am trying to play up down with him when he does it (I go up he goes up, I go down he goes down). He likes that a lot he just loves attention.

OH and can we say, he sure is a healthy kid! He is getting rolls everywhere. I love this age where they are just fat on milk! And I am making that milk and couldn't be prouder of that fact! He is such a wonderful and quiet content baby. I can't believe how perfect he is and I celebrate everyday I can be with him, cause he is sure a cute little guy! I found a nick name for him by the way. I call him Jabba. for Jabba de Hutt. I like to play with his belly, tickle it and I always say, "Jabba, Jabba, Jabba." when I do so he is my little Jabba! Not sure how this nickname will be when he is older and rail thin like his Daddy but for now it is very appropriate! 
~cute arm rolls!~

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

PiYo Result Pictures!

My first Transformation Tuesday! I didn't forget to post the pictures of my transformation from day 1-60 with PiYo the other day with my REVIEW OF PIYO! I had to wait for my hubs and afternoon lighting to take the pix then I got sick and it just got delayed. So here is MY proof that even working out at home, and missing some days, YOU WILL still see some results! Are they completely life changing 100 lbs lost pictures, no, but I am getting there. I am not ripped, or shredded or totally defined or a stick but I am smaller than where I started. This is the real world people we all start somewhere! It takes just a little bit at a time and eventually I will be healthy and fit. You can click on the pictures to view the full size.

As a reminder I lost 8.5 inches across my chest, belly, hips, arms and legs. No lbs lost, gained 2 lbs. So now it is time for the weight to come off while I still trim down!

Am I happy with these results! OF COURSE! I am finally looking in the mirror and thinking, wow I look great today. So, here they are. And if you want results too, fill out the form at the bottom and I will get back to you. (also the piyo results is also my 21 day fix day 1 pictures. Because I went from one program straight to the next! So lots more results to come!)



Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Monday, September 22, 2014

September Week 3 Recap


It is here! Finally here! Season and series premier season! YEA! I love this time of year when my favorite shows come back on. So that is what I am looking forward to this week! I will tell you my weekly line up next week but I am excited about the return of Once Upon A Time!

Back to last week. The dreaded hospital week I am now calling it. It killed my workouts for the week, but that didn't mean I had to eat poorly! The week started out great. Mason, Matt and Collin were all done with their whatever sickness they had and I felt really strong. I pushed starting my 21 Day Fix back a day so that all the junk food was out of the house on Monday. (Had to go through and purge a couple of things) Tuesday came and I KILLED it in my workout! I had pure muscle fatigue. I was exhausted and it took 4 days for my legs to not be sore anymore! (Don't you love those kinds of days?) Wednesday happened and I did my workout with my hubs which was awesome and a little intimidating but still awesome to see him huff and puff as much as I was! Then Thursday. If you don't know what happened click here and I talk all about it. Friday, and Saturday I had planned on working out but Matt advised against it because I still had a fever and other flu like symptoms come at me. So I took them as rest days, but I was fully planning on working out those days. So they were recovery days for me and Sunday was the first day since Wednesday that I felt normal again. Matt and I decided it would be best to restart my 21 days today. So that is where we are at.

Sunday we went to our old church in Louisa to say hi to our old friends! And spent the afternoon at my friend's house to let the kiddos play and tire them out!

We have some awesome news that I will share soon but don't want jinx it quite yet. Yep it is pretty awesome!

I am just glad that I am feeling better though. Still not sure what was wrong with me. We think it was a super slow moving virus that first gave me the super high fever then went and attacked other areas of my body. But back at it today and I am so not really looking forward to the many surrenders I will be doing today though. Man, they burn out my legs fast! (21 Day Fix day 1 workout: Total Body Cardio Fix)

Workout Recap: 
Sunday: rest
Monday: rest
Tuesday: Total Body Cardio Fix
Wednesday: Upper Body Fix
Thursday: HOSPITAL DAY
Friday: rest and recovery
Saturday: rest and recovery
Sunday: rest

This weeks goals:
~Do all my workouts. That is 7 days because for the next 21 days I am committed!
~Continue to eat clean. Even though I didn't get all my workouts in and had almost a full day where I didn't eat, but got pumped full of fluids, I have still lost weight because I cut the crap and am eating clean. down 3.2 lbs!
~Get 2 more rooms in my house clean. I am working on doing a Fall cleaning in the house right now and we did the guest room and Mason's room this weekend (you do not want to know how many fuzzies from his old sheepskin blanket and goldfish were under his bed!). So this week is the nursery and our bedroom that needs to be spruced up!

QOTD: What did you do this past week that was the most memorable??? Do you do a fall deep cleaning (dusting, scrubbing and cleaning baseboards)?

ALSO: If you would like to join my 21 Days to Great Online Health group, this Friday (9/26) is the last day that I will accept people for this month's group. Fill out the form below and let me know if you want to join! Any workout routine accepted! You know you wanna! THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING! Get in shape now and eat better now so you don't have to work so hard during the holidays!

Friday, September 19, 2014

Yesterdays Little Adventure


Many of you saw the picture I posted on FB yesterday about me being in the hospital, yep the stinking hospital! Well here is the whole story!

Collin woke me up around 5:30am to feed and I got up to nurse him. As I sat up I had this sharp pain in my back and front, and actually going through me. It felt like I had a rod going through my body from my right sacrum to my lower abdomen. I fed Collin and just dealt with it. I went to the bathroom thinking it might be gas and tried to rub my belly. That didn't help. When I got back in bed I started shaking, violently and the pain became more intense. I called Matt and had him come home from work. I went and got in a scorching hot bath for about an hour, with the jets on to help massage the pain out. It didn't work.

We decided, since my sacrum was involved and doesn't really hold my adjustments very well that we should go to my chiropractor to see if it was just my hip severely out. We showed up without an appointment at 8:30 and they got me in as fast as possible. I was right that my hip was really out of place. The way I was getting up to nurse Collin was just not a good way for my body. So they readjusted me and got me back to normal. But I still had lower abdominal pain.

So we then decided to go to my Ob/GYN to check for an eptoptic pregnancy. In the car between the Chiropractor and my OB I started getting super hot! I had still be shaking and now had dizziness and nausea. I had just started my first cycle this month and the numbers were kind of adding up. Again we went there and they squeezed me in. (All the while Matt had both boys in the car! Such a trooper!) I got in there and they took my temp and I was 102.4. I saw the OB and he check me and no pregnancy but based off the exam and the fever he advised me to go to the ER now for possible appendicitis.

So off to the ER we went. They again checked my temp and it was holding strong at 102.4. I got back to my little suite and and was told I wasn't allowed to drink anymore water then the waiting began. Doc came in and did a small exam. He said I will need a CT scan to check the appendix to see if it is in fact inflamed. He said that in the past when people came in with my symptoms that they just went straight in for surgery but not anymore. They might not know exactly what the appendix is for but they try to keep it in you if they can.

So I got my lovely IV, ( I hate needles and IV. They make me squirm!) Along with anti-neasea and pain relief drugs. And shortly after that they had me drink this lovely HUGE 32 oz orange drink that tasted like tang and had to wait at least an hour before I could have the CT scan. Matt took the boys to the cafeteria and I got some rest while they were gone cause the small dose of morphine knocked me out! After Matt got back we called a friend to help with Mason. She came and picked him up and so we just had Collin with us and he just slept the rest of the time. Not sure if he got some of the morphine or not but he was so good. (He usually is!)

Finally it was time for the scan and then more waiting as we waited for the results. Doc came in and said that I looked normal. All the organs look fine and they couldn't see what was causing the pain. He said, "Well, we know what it isn't." He advised me to go home and rest and if it got any worse to come back in. I was told to take some Ibuprofen. While I was in the hospital my fever went away and by the time we got home though it was back in full force!

I told Matt that if I have to go back for them not to give me any morphine because we don't know if that helped reduce the size of my appendix if that truly was the problem or not. Anyhew we picked up Mason and a friend brought us dinner, so nice of her and I rested the rest of the night. I woke up completely soaked in sweat 3 times during the night. Matt even changed the pillow case because it was so soaked. I think my high fever finally broke around 4am.

Today I still have lower abdominal pain but it isn't as bad as yesterday. I feel week and just out of it. Even if it wasn't appendicitis it was something. I wouldn't have had that high of a fever for nothing. (I don't know the last time I ever had a fever that hight!) Oh, the doc did say that my white blood count was high so my body is fighting something. So I am taking it easy today. Probably won't do the ab workouts for the next few days to let that get better. I have a nice little bruise where the IV was, plus where they did the first stick for the IV that didn't work. I am keeping an eye on it and how I feel. I pray it doesn't get any worse. But I sure would love to know what caused it or what not. I have changed my eating (way more healthy) and am doing a different workout but I seriously doubt that that is what caused me to spike a seriously high fever!

It was not that respiratory thing that is going around. I have no cough, or breathing issues. It was purely lower abdominal pain! So there is the story. My little adventure!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

My PiYo Review and Results!

Day 60 has come and gone for me on PiYo already! First off, that was a fast 60 days. Secondly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! PiYo is fairly easy to follow! There are really only a few moves that I really struggled with but with time I was able to figure out what modifications I should make that fit me.

Example: I used Yoga blocks instead of a chair to get a further stretch and to learn how to use more upper body strength for some of the moves like 3 point balance Crouching crow. It is a little scary on the blocks though because they wobble with me and are not stable so make sure you have a good strong foundation of your own balance before you go for a harder modification!

Downward dog split and with open hip is still my least favorite positions. I can't lift my leg very high, um cause I am having to do the splits while my head is hanging down and such, but I noticed that I was able to hold the pose longer each time I did it. (Which is in almost every workout!)

Favorite positions: Child's pose, cause it is a rest position. Pigeon has always been my fav too because it just stretches the IT band like nothing else. I could sit in that position all day long because it is that nice and wonderful. Even when I lean and stretch into it more it is more wonderful. And surprisingly I have really learned to love and see downward dog not as a hard position but truly as a rest position. Which it should be. I have learned to trust my body and put most of the weight on my legs and not on my shoulders and wrists. By shifting my body and making my legs hold more weight (meaning, I just ground my legs more and keep them tight and flexed) I can hold that position much longer and comfortably.
RESULTS:  CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY PICTURES! In the 60 days I did not lose any weight. I actually gained 1.7 lbs...in muscle. How do I know it was muscle, because I lost inches. Which means that I lost fat. I lost 8.5 inches to be exact! YEA! With that said, working out is hard. And even I hit a point where I wanted to do something different (check out the new Beachbody On Demand All Access Pass where you get access to over 40 FULL workout programs and bonus materials plus new workouts when they are released too!), but I had committed to doing this and only this for 60 days. Did I workout every day? No. I did miss some workouts and that obviously hindered my results. But I worked out most of the time and still got great results. And this is why I am moving on to 21 day fix. I have the workout stuff done but the eating is what I am having a hard time with.

How Hard is PiYo: I felt that PiYo was great for me because I was already used to most of the moves used in it. I did prenatal yoga for 30 weeks while pregnant and I often got to work one on one with my yoga instructor so she helped me know and get better with the positions. I have heard from other people that they are having a hard time with PiYo. You will sweat. Your arms will ache. You butt will burn and your core will hurt. Just because you aren't using weights doesn't mean you aren't burning a ton of calories! I promise you that if you listen to Chalene and do as she instructs you, you will get better. I know I am more flexible than I was before. I can't do the splits but I am able to stretch deeper at the end of workouts. It is just easier to fold over! My back no longer hurts and I know when I am using my core because it is stronger and I can feel it. I really do recommend this program to runners because it will help to lengthen and strengthen you hamstrings and core! I felt pretty good after my race, which I did not really run for training. I was doing this and I survived and felt strong finishing!
Oh Chalene, you're so funny!: I really loved all the inspirational things that Chalene says during the videos. Some of them just make me start to laugh and help get me past the discomfort I am feeling. Example: "Feel that! That's like an epidural. Your leg is as numb as an epidural. Ok let's get the feeling back in your leg! SQUAT!" "Best revenge on anyone is looking amazing!" and last "DROP IT LIKE ITS HOT!" (She says that a lot!) Oh and when you get child's pose you are supposed to say "Thank you!" Which you will do after awhile without even thinking of it because it just feels so good to rest!

Final thoughts: PiYo is great. It will help you tone up your arms and legs because you are using them doing mini squats a lot and holding up your own body weight. You will get more flexible too as long as you push yourself. It just takes some time to master the moves and I will honestly be using the workouts again in my rotation of workouts because they really are that great! My favs, Buns and Core!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Monday, September 15, 2014

September Week 2 Recap


Sick, Sick, Sick has been the name of the game here in the Allen household! The week started out great then Wednesday Mason was hit with a bug. He was sporting a fever (not sure what it went to, didn't check but high enough to register that he was pretty warm.) The we all started dropping like flies! Matt stayed home on Wednesday to help out so that I could try to quarantine him from Collin and such but that just made it possible for Matt to be sick by Friday with a fever. Oh and the quarantine didn't quite work. Collin got it too.

So Collin has been an awesome baby! He started sleeping through the night since 3 weeks old. So I have no right to complain. I am so thankful though that he sleeps at night because living like this everyday would be so hard. You mommas that don't get sleep, I remember that, from Mason and it isn't fun. You are so strong and powerful and I fully feel for you. I did get a little taste of lack of sleep though. Thursday night he was up every hour whining, fussing or crying. I totally understand. Being sick sucks, especially since we couldn't give him medicine for him like we can big brother. So Thursday night into Friday morning I only got about an hour combined of sleep that night. I ain't gonna lie, Friday sucked for me! And with Matt being sick and Mason still in recovery I was exhausted. Friday night was better but only got about 3 hours of sleep. By Saturday afternoon, we all crashed, expect for Matt and Mason, Collin and I slept from 3pm-7pm. We were all back in bed by 10pm to sleep for the night. Collin woke up early Sunday morn at 2:30 to feed and then was out agin till the morning.

Noticed how I haven't written about me. Well, I am not quite out of the woods yet. I doubled up on my Shakeology, (2 shakes a day) for 2 days just to give me a boost in my own immunity and to help boost Collin up too. I think it really did work. I only started to feel sick yesterday but it wasn't too bad. I have had a stuffed up nose, but never really had a fever and have felt fairly ok. (except for the sleeping thing.) I have been more physically exhausted more than anything. So no early Saturday run for me. Sleep was more important to me because I wasn't getting it. And workouts suffered this week too, because well, I was exhausted and dealing with my sick kiddos. (Nothing worse then having sick kids and seeing them suffer from it, that is what is really hard about being a parent. Not being able to help them when they need it.)

On the bright side, I might not have worked out, but I have been eating fairly clean. (I did go to a baby shower on Saturday and had some cake and other goodies but I watched what I ate and didn't overdo it) I haven't gained any weight. So I consider that a "good job Becky moment!"
OHHHHH! AND...I was just accepted as an Ambassador with FitFluential! "FitFluential is a nationwide network of highly influential fitness enthusiasts sharing their journey both online and offline through multiple social media platforms. Founded in April of 2011 by Kelly Olexa, FitFluential was designed to connect health and wellness brands with their ideal target market through customized, long-term experiential and contextual marketing campaigns. - See more at: http://fitfluential.com/about/

Workout Recap: 
 Sunday: rest
Monday: core
Tuesday: Drench
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: REST

Goals for next week: 
1) Start my 21 Day Fix program, so I am a week ahead of everyone to actually offer my help an know what I am talking about. I am big on practice what you preach!
2) EAT CLEAN! Cut the crap out and eat what I need to.
3) Saturday morning run of 3.5 miles. Also try to schedule in 2 mid-week runs. Need to figure out that still! So I don't run at 5am. It really would be a great time, but should I wake Collin up and nurse him then go for a run??? I can't run being super full and Collin won't take a bottle for me to pump, and I don't want to pump and dump because he needs the milk from sleeping all night and not feeding during the night. My other option would be to run later at night and now that it is getting cooler that might be an option. But running later in the day is hard! Any ideas from other mother's out there??? Comment below!

Also I am still accepting requests to join my 21 Days To Great Private Facebook Group! If you need help taking that first step into a lifestyle change sign up below. If you don't know where to start with exercising or dieting, sign up below. If you just want to talk and share your ideas on how to lose weight. Let me know! I will send you an email and we can chat!

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